I feel safe in saying that Cyndi Lauper is irrefutable evidence of the divine. Seriously, think about that voice. Never in all the eons of evolution has there ever been a voice like that, and once she\u2019s gone I feel safe in saying that there never will be again. I mean there will be another Whitney Houston, known as Mariah Carey, and there will be another Mariah Carey, known as Christina Aguilera, and I\u2019m sure there will be another Christina Aguilera. But whether it is a hiccup in Darwinism or the All Mighty Hand of God, nobody can sound like Lauper.<\/p>\n
Her new album \u201cBring Ya to the Brink\u201d is for starters, way better than its title. It\u2019s a dance\/techno album with pop tendencies. A lot of reviews mention the song \u201cRain on Me\u201d and say something to the effect of, it\u2019s the new \u201cTime After Time\u201d. Well every single reviewer that has used that line can bite me. What a huge disservice. I loved Lauper\u2019s first album \u201cShe\u2019s So Unusual\u201d as much as the next person, song for song it\u2019s one of the best ever, but creatively Lauper has surpassed that album, so to use her training wheels album as a comparison annoys me. Also, other than a vaguely 80s vibe, the song doesn\u2019t sound like \u201cTime After Time\u201d, it sounds much better. It should, Lauper worked with Robyn\u2019s producer for the track, and several others.<\/p>\n
Lauper worked with notable pop and techno producers on this disc, and they definitely love her voice. No burying the vocals or running it through computers (although it\u2019s done occasionally to good effect). They have Lauper\u2019s signature voice cut through their instrumentals like a light saber through a Storm Trooper. A beautiful burning voice\u2026that cauterizes.<\/p>\n
The disc is littered with great techno inspired tracks. Some favorites: \u201cInto the Nightlife\u201d, \u201cEcho\u201d, \u201cRaging Storm\u201d, and \u201cGrab a Hold\u201d. I also do like the mid-tempo \u201cRain on Me\u201d. But my favorite track is definitely \u201cRocking Chair\u201d. This one was produced by Lauper and Basement Jaxx and it is fearless. An awesome techno tune, it features an almost tribal sounding Lauper, there\u2019s a dash of urban sass, and some great use of \u201ckeyboard throat\u201d as my friend Max would say (when you run the singer\u2019s voice through a computer). Although, with Lauper\u2019s insane voice, there very well could be no keyboard throat in action here, just raw Lauper bad assedness.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately there isn\u2019t an actual video for \u201cRocking Chair\u201d but I found a fan montage thing that uses the song\u2026good enough for me!<\/p>\n